Sometimes investors are their own worst enemy. It isn’t always market conditions, the economy, or a dud property that brings your real estate investing success to a grinding halt. 

Real estate investors constantly flex their analytical muscles. From the physical to the financial, diligent evaluation of every investment opportunity not only sets the stage for success but avoids big problems.

No one said investing would be easy. Any ace investor will recount the mistakes they’ve made on their way to financial freedom. When it comes to real estate investing — particularly passive investing — we often underestimate the risks and potential pitfalls in front of us.

When we think about the mistakes made in real estate investment, we usually talk about them as if they are exclusive to new or inexperienced investors. However, it would be a mistake to assume that experienced investors don’t have their own missteps as well. Every investor should be on guard — striving to mitigate their risk and grow their portfolios.

Conflicting information about finances can be a source of anxiety and strain on anyone's bank account. When you're trying to invest and plan for retirement, the swath of information out there can cause confusion and costly mistakes. When you're looking for financial and investing wisdom, it's important to discern fact from fiction.

Success in real estate investment is often hard-won. It comes with a lot of time, dedication, and commitment. There’s so much planning and strategizing that goes into it. There can be setbacks, heartbreak, and frustrations along the way. Lessons are learned. We grow not just personally, but professionally.

Do you wonder why you aren’t accomplishing your financial goals faster? Frustrated that you haven’t achieved that million-dollar real estate portfolio yet? Investing in real estate is an incredibly rewarding experience full of opportunities and the potential for financial freedom beyond that of any other investing avenue. That said, there will always be some troubleshooting involved if you want to make the most of your investing experience.

Embarking on a new venture is always fraught with some level of struggle. Whether it’s late nights up worrying about the right next steps, whether or not your choices were the right ones, or wrestling with your own limitations and inexperience, it’s just a tough time.

This is certainly true as it relates to new real estate investors.

Every real estate investor starts off somewhere, and that somewhere usually comes with more than a handful of mistakes. Many small, some large and very costly. It’s all part of the journey! Growing pains are just part of investing in real estate and a fact of life, no matter where you go or what you do.

That said, there are some mistakes that can be devastating for new real estate investors—potentially ending an investor’s career before it’s even started.

Granted, nearly every mistake we’re going to mention can be turned around and salvaged for an investor willing to put in the work and effort necessary to push through and bounce back.

Some, however, may take more work than others to overcome.